Re-deciding your use of online time

Tyson and his friend Addison in Tofino, BC Canada

We have the opportunity to do just about everything online. We can order groceries, stay acquainted with old friends, meet new friends and have whole meals from our favorite restaurant delivered to our door and never leave the couch with no need to change out of our unsightly comfy clothes. We can watch movies at home instead of going to the theater and some people telecommute and interact with customers and colleagues virtually instead of going into the office.

While all of this sounds luxurious, you would think we had ample time with the things that we say are our priorities, our friends and families. Turns out we miss out on a lot of things by not going to the grocery store where we run into friends from our neighborhood. Sorting through produce or looking at baby food options with friends and acquaintances create meaningful interactions. By staying home and turning on Netflix instead of going to the movie theater, we miss out on connection. When we go to the movies with friends, we laugh and share togetherness and have a meaningful shared experience.

Some of these may seem like small and unimportant interactions, but they are an important part of what keeps us connected to the larger fabric of our local community. These in person experiences are valuable and contribute to our sense of belonging. While it's nice to reach out to a friend online, long term it doesn't create the meaningful dialogues we crave. We all know that virtual relationships are not near the quality as an in person relationships. It doesn't matter if these relationships are with friends, family or collegues. Using all the modern conveniences that online has to offer can leave us feeling left out, unseen and unheard. We can feel isolated from others and have a sense that people are around us, but that they are not with us.

Learning to balance our use of these platforms is no small feat. Learning to find time to integrate and maintain human connection means we have to be intentional. Social media has definitely found its place in our personal and professional lives. If your friends or family use social media to announce major life events, you automatically become disconnected and are left in the dark. How often have you meant to spend just 5 minutes checking your feed only to be still scrolling an hour later?

Using our online options responsibly requires us to take an honest look at our habits and evaluate them up against our priorities and values. Learning to look at the dimensions of our online life and seeing that they hold both a sweet and sour experience will help us decide what we want to prioritize with our time and valuable resources. I'm not big into new years resolutions, maybe you are, but maybe take this time to redecide what your online priorities are and how much you use which platforms.